Koliada on Fifth Avenue

Koliada songs are part of a winter ritual that now coincides with Christmas, but is much older in origin and symbolism. It is considered to be the most important event of the year, since people believe that spring and the harvest will not come to the village unless these songs are sung in every household. Koliada on Fifth Avenue presents these songs along with visual art, videos and installations inspired by the ancient winter tradition.

Singing with Ivan Zelenchuk, the leader of the koliadnyky from the mystical Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, are his brother Peter and his son Mykola, who plays the trembita, the traditional twelve-foot long mountain horn. They are accompanied by Dmytro Tafiychuk, a virtuoso traditional fiddler, as well as a master player of the volynka, bag pipes made of goat skin. Photographs by Alexander Khantaev and videos by Andrea Odesynska document the Koliada as it exists in the village of Kryvorivnia in the Carpathian Mountains of southwestern Ukarine. In addition, an excerpt from Yara’s theater piece Koliada: Twelve Dishes, is performed by Olga Shuhan. Various Koliada songs are interpreted by vocalist Alexis Kochan. Drawing on the deep musical traditions of Eastern Europe, she and bandurist Julian Kytasty weave a universal sonic tapestry, working in strands of jazz and new music, medieval Slavonic chant, dance tunes inspired by Carpathian Mountain fiddlers and blind bandura players, and ancient ritual songs with roots in the Neolithic.